Tiger Woods reportedly had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket when he was arrested for DUI in Florida on Friday.
According to TMZ, an arrest affidavit reveals the golf icon, 50, also claimed his cell phone and radio were distracting him before his rollover crash on Jupiter Island.
When officers searched Woods, they discovered two white pills inside the left pocket of his trousers. They were marked ‘M367’, which is hydrocodone. It is an opioid used to treat severe or chronic pain.
Woods, who is due in court in April, was also said to be ‘sweating profusely’ after the incident and an officer noticed his movement was ‘lethargic and slow.’ He’s also said to have been battling hiccups.
The 15-time major winner’s eyes were also said to be ‘bloodshot and glassy’ and his pupils were ‘extremely dilated.’ When asked if he is currently taking any prescription medication, Woods replied: ‘I take a few.’
It comes after Daily Mail first reported that Woods’ refusal to provide a urine sample at the scene was because he has taken heavy doses of prescription opioids from his repeated injuries.
Tiger Woods reportedly had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket when he was arrested for DUI
Woods stares down the lens in his police mugshot after being arrest for DUI on Friday afternoon
Woods stands alongside his Range Rover SUV after clambering out of the passenger side
Our insider agreed that the golf icon, who only returned to golf action last week at the TGL finals after months of injury rehab, is not one for ‘illegal drugs’.
‘I know the guy, that’s just not what he does,’ the source revealed. ‘He has been on tons of pain medication for years.’
The golf legend was arrested after he attempted to overtake a truck and trailer at high speed before clipping it and tipping his own SUV onto its side.
Woods, who has been involved in other crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
He had been traveling at ‘high speeds’ on a residential road and after the crash showed ‘signs of impairment,’ Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken some kind of medication or drug.
He described Woods as lethargic and said he agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was arrested.
The crash occurred just before 2pm not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island.
Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30mph speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.
The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side and he crawled out.
The sheriff said Woods was ‘cooperative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.’
He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities ‘will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.’
This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries.
Woods said later doctors considered amputation. He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career.
It was the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of the influence of alcohol.
He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.
President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law Vanessa is dating Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.
‘I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,’ Trump said. ‘Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.’
In the wake of Woods’ latest crash, a source revealed to People that Nordegren – who was married to the golf legend for six years and shares children Charlie and Sam with him – wants him to prioritize his ‘health’.
The source told the outlet: ‘The kids are close with Tiger, so of course Elin cares too. She wants him to be well. Both kids are great and love spending time with their dad.
‘Elin’s concerned that he had another car crash and got arrested,’ they added.
‘His recovery from the crash [in 2021] in California was brutal. [Elin] just wants him to make the best choices for himself. It’s about his health and being there for the kids,’ the source continued.
Woods had reportedly been banned from driving the US president’s grandchildren by the Secret Service prior to his recent arrest.
According to PEOPLE, Woods does not wish to hire his own private driver because he ‘doesn’t want anyone to watch over him or know what he is doing.’
A source also told the US publisher that the American is adamant ‘he thinks he is fine to drive’.
‘He is not a social butterfly and prefers to hang around his home with his kids, or hitting balls, or playing video games,’ the source added. ‘He despises public scrutiny.’
